[R] memory allocation in R

[Marc Jekel]

Dear R community,

I was observing a memory issue in R (latest 64bit R version running on a 
win 7 64 bit system) that made me curious.

I kept track of the memory f my PC allocated to R to calculate + keep 
several objects in the workspace. If I then save the workspace, close R, 
and open the workspace again, less memory is allocated to keep the same 
set of variables into the workspace. For my case, the reduction in 
memory size was quite significant (approx. 2 GB).

Does anyone know why R behaves in this manner - put differently: What 
does R keep in the workspace beyond the objects before I close R? Can I 
induce the reduction in memory without the need to close R?

Thanks for an email!

Marc